Thanks for the comments.

As to whether or not the train stops at the small "stops" - I rode the Cardinal and the time I rode it the train stopped in every little town it seemed. The quickest stops were no more than 20-30 seconds, max, with no one getting off or boarding. So that is a good point to make - if you are scheduled to get on a train somewhere you better be early so you are THERE when the train stops or else it could be gone in a flash.

However, that is a good point - those open gazebo type stops are what I would try to utilize. I am having a hard time finding them down south. The one I picked up the Cardinal on was just a hair south of Gary, IN. That one shows up on Google Maps but does not show up on the Amtrak map.

For example, one idea is to get down to western GA/eastern AL. The only 2 stops in that area are the full blown "train stations" in Anniston, AL and Atlanta, GA. I can't imagine that the train doesn't stop anywhere in between, but Google Maps, that I have found yet, does not show any stops in between there, nor does the Amtrak map.

But that is a different topic than the subject of the thread. As to calling Amtrak - I can certainly do that. However, the ticket office isn't the train crew on any given train. You know, the saying that the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing? So I was hoping to get some better input from those who have been in what may potentially be my shoes.